February 22nd 2019

I have had a busy couple of days outside. I started by buying some second hand tools in a nearby town - two hoes and a pair of lawn shears, all for a fiver - then buying a second hand lawn mower from another nearby town for £20. Thank heavens for Facebook marketplace! I attacked the lawn at once, so it looks worse than ever, but is now manageable and should be fine after several more cuts. The grass was very long and the day was damp, neither of which helped.

 

After that, a friend came round and we sorted out the shed, dismantling the stack of wood and remains of shelves therein. It is very satisfying removing screws and stacking things neatly. Most of the wood can be reused, and the rest can be burned in the rusting chimnea! I now have a usable shed and can store my tools properly.

 

Today I removed the extension lead that had been strung above the washing line between the house and the shed, as well as the wire that it was suspended by. The wire can be reused around the garden but the electrics will have to be binned. I also removed the grubby washing line and soaked it in biological washing powder, and it has come up a treat. Pink, no less, beneath the grime.

 

I have concentrated the rest of my energy on sorting out the patio, and have now removed the pile of garden debris by the back door, much of which was compostable, and have bagged the rest to go to the dump. I also bit the bullet and emptied out the large sack of rubbish the previous owner had left behind; this was pretty grim, but I bagged it up properly and the bin men took it away this morning. All I need to do now is thin out the cordylines and finish weeding near the Hydrangea, and we'll have somewhere pleasant to sit in the spring.

 

I can now imagine a beautiful garden emerging! There are dandelions, celandines and Narcissus in flower now, and Aquilegias are burgeoning. I ended the day by sitting on the shed step, drinking a cup of tea, watching two blackbirds, and listening to a robin redbreast singing his heart out on the fence next to me. Exciting times.